Tagged: J.J. Kelley

The interview started with a casual statement. “The concentration of the river reaches a certain point where it becomes so inundated with fecal matter that it literally transforms into a river of poo; still I loved paddling on it.” It’s a statement so true and one that defines the mixed feelings I left with after traveling the full length of India’s River Ganges.

This week, myself and Go Ganges producer and editor, Ben Gottfried traveled to Madison, Wisconsin for an interview with PBS’ Director’s Cut. We had a chance to talk about the films being produced at Dudes on Media, and how our adventure films have grown side-by-side with professional careers in television production.

I’ve always thought it funny that a new music group can easily find an open mic night to present their work, but it’s not that easy for an indie filmmaker. The cost of booking a theater often falls on the filmmaker, and it’s rare that a network will have the huevos to try something outside of their market-reacher-tested comfort zone. If a network does take a chance on indie film, you can bet it will be airing at 2am on a Sunday night. So I’m extremely honored that some networks and programs value an independent voice. Thank you PBS for being weird (in a good way).

I thank Shiva that we have the internet for video distribution. Web based indie groups are now getting their content seen in a big way. Like the folks over at VICE who just surpassed 2-million subscribers on YouTube. While mainstream networks like CBS and Fox have less than a quarter of the number of online subscribers. As traditional TV broadcasting migrates fully to the web (and it will); the old network giants will have to get weird and flexible or they will go the way of the dinosaur.

The full 30-minute interview will air on Wisconsin PBS two times this summer: June 29, & July 26, at 10pm. Mark your calendars Wisconsin! These TV broadcasts will be the first for our latest adventure film; later this year it will also air nationwide on Outside Television.

JJ has just finished a one-hour National Geographic documentary on the illicit ivory trade. Battle for the Elephants, a groundbreaking new special, explores the brutal slaughter of African elephants for their tusks, fueled largely by China’s demand for ivory. JJ was one of the film’s producers, and in addition to the national broadcast on PBS, JJ wrote, edited and even narrated a 4 part Web series exploring the supply and demand for elephant ivory. Elephant numbers are at the lowest level ever recorded, and exposing this tragedy is at the core mission of Dudes on Media. It has always been our goal to create programing that honors and explores the natural world.

Here is one of the episodes in the series. In this video, JJ follows investigative journalist and war corespondent, Aidan Hartley. Together they were the first to ever film Tanzania’s ivory stockpile, which is the largest cache of raw ivory in the world. JJ held the camera and produced this piece in the field for National Geographic. So if this injustice calls to you or if you just miss JJ’s sultry voice, check out this video.

About Us

Josh and J.J. have a special passion for the outdoors and people. Over the course of their 10-year friendship they developed an incomparable style of filmmaking. Together the founded Dudes on Media, an Emmy nominated adventure media company providing online content. Using unique journeys around the world as a way to gain access to greater global events and news.